Old Monterey District Blog

Looking for storage solutions for your home? Cha-ya Japanese Tea and Things has a couple of new tansu in the shop. A tansu is a traditional Japanese mobile storage cabinet and they're commonly used to store objects of daily use, clothes, and personal items. Right now, we have a tall tansu for the kitchen and a shorter tansu for clothing.

We also have a beautifully decorated four panel screen which would enhance any room. Visit us at 118 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey to view these in person. We're open Monday - Saturday, 11am - 4pm.

Om Studios is excited to announce that our renovations are done and the studio is back open again at 631 Cass Street, Suite B in Downtown Old Monterey. We had to take a huge pause to repair winter storm damage, but the time away has allowed us to make some nice updates to our studio.

We're now back to our regular schedule offering yoga, barre, and reformer classes. You can book your classes up to two weeks in advance on our website.

We want to give a special thanks to Rene for her amazing art studio, Lululemon, and Alta Bakery for allowing us a space to practice while our studio was closed. We love our community!

MY Museum's online auction is now live and ready for your bids! We can't wait for you to see the incredible items. Whether you are looking for trips, spa services, gift cards to local restaurants, wine, new experiences or family fun adventures, we've got you covered.

And the best part? Every penny raised from the auction goes directly to making this non-profit children's museum in Downtown Old Monterey a better, safer place for the kids of Monterey County and beyond. The online auction closes on Saturday, May 20, at 7pm...will you be the lucky bidder?

Thank you so much to all of our auction donors - this would not be possible without you!

Shear Addiction Barbershop and Hair Studio, located at 160 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is happy to announce our newest barber at the shop, the talented Mervyn Tila. Mervyn specializes in fades and beard trimming and shaping.

Please book your appointment through Shear Addiction's website - Mervyn's schedule is now available.

Spa on the Plaza, located at 201 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is offering Mother's Day specials. To make an appointment, please phone us at 831-647-9000.

Mother's Day Specials

Better Than Roses
$370 for 170 minutes
Treat the mother in your life to a well-deserved, rejuvenating day! Start with our 30-minute private rose tub followed by an 80-minute rose remedy massage and an invigorating 60-minute antioxidant facial.

A Delightful Surprise
$190 for 80 minutes
Have Mom glowing and feeling renewed with our refreshing 80-minute antioxidant facial with an added jelly mask.

Venture Gallery presents the work of Maria Poroy, our featured artist for May. Her exhibit, entitled Art Squared, includes larger work as well as dramatic abstract paintings on 12x12 wood panels using mixed media and extreme texture.

Known for her use of color and texture, Maria pushes her abstract work a bit further in this exuberant show. The centerpiece of the exhibit, called Connections, is a series of eight canvases with interlinked designs that celebrate color and work well together, allowing the pieces be grouped and displayed in various ways.

Venture Gallery is now open 10am-6pm six days a week and 2pm-6pm on Tuesdays. Maria Poroy's artwork will be featured through May 2023. Venture Gallery is located at 260 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Visit our website to shop online for work by our local artists.

Luminata Books and Gifts, located at 631 Cass Street in Downtown Old Monterey, not only offers a wide range of reading material and gift items for all ages, but also offers in-person Tarot readings and more by our specialists, Daniel and Valerie. Please call the shop at 831-333-1110 to schedule an appointment.

Valerie White, a longtime friend of Luminata, has over thirty years of experience as a spiritual counselor providing Tarot, Astrology, Numerology, and Crystal Energy services, and integrates this knowledge into her Tarot readings. For more than ten years, Luminata has had the pleasure of working with Valerie as a life coach, medium, and psychic reader.

Daniel, our newest reader, has been practicing shamanism and the western esoteric tradition, including Tarot, for most of his 46 years. Born in Tennessee and raised all over the country, Daniel's family runs the largest carnival on the west coast, where he cut his teeth in divination as a young boy. His experience with the many different traditions will help to bring into focus the questions you have.

Luminata Books and Gifts is open Tuesday - Friday, 10:30am-6:30pm; Saturday, 11am-6:30pm; and Sunday, 12pm-5pm.

From the Old Monterey Business Association and The Foolish Times: a huge thank you to the folks who came out for the annual Earth Day community clean-up to help tidy up the downtown and wharf areas on Saturday, April 22. There is nothing finer than meeting people who give their time and have the passion to pitch in!

This year was different than in the past. After separating the recyclables, batteries, and cigarette butts, there was much less trash that went in the dumpster than prior years. Cigarette butts were still the number one thing we eliminated from the streets and sidewalks and, thanks to TerraCycle, they will be recycled.

Stay tuned: The Foolish Times will organize another clean-up event in July combined with a meet up at the Stanton Center. Those who participate in the clean-up will receive the reward of free admission to the Dali Museum.

MY Museum needs your help! We're seeking donations of specific items for our children's Creation Station. We need: construction paper, school and office supplies, ribbon and yarn, wine corks, stickers, faux flowers, the cardboard tubes inside toilet and paper towel rolls, and bottle caps (no beverage residue, please).

It has been a busy start to the spring as we have welcomed local and visiting families on spring break the past several weeks. The staff at MY Museum has seen so many amazing projects made in our Creation Station and we could use your help restocking our materials. We accept donations any time the museum is open at 425 Washington Street in Downtown Old Monterey. Thank you!

The Feral Market is excited to carry the work of local artist Quinn Sedona, whose unique shadowboxes incorporate animal skulls, butterflies, and more. Come and see these and other fun and fascinating pieces by California artists at our shop at 261 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

After the Om Studios building at 631 Cass Street, Suite B in Downtown Old Monterey suffered severe storm damage, the entire studio will need to be closed while our landlord and property management company replace dry wall, flooring, baseboards, and parts of the roof throughout the space. (Please note that other businesses at 631 Cass Street are still open! Om Studios was the only space affected.)

Om Studios will continue to offer yoga and mat pilates classes off-site, but we will be closed for in-person barre and pilates until further notice. Our virtual, on-demand offerings will remain available throughout this time. We hope our studio will be back open in the next 2-3 weeks, and will give updates through social media.

All pilates monthly memberships will be paused; class card and yearly pass holders we can extend your expiration dates as needed. If you would like to pause your yoga/barre membership please don't hesitate to reach out by emailing us. We thank you for your support and patience.

Did you know you can recycle your used sports nutrition wrappers at Fleet Feet Monterey? Gu Energy has created a program called Terracycle that allows you to recycle all of your old sports nutrition wrappers, no matter the brand. Gel, chews, stroopwafel, bar, drink mix, and recovery drink mix wrappers will be upcycled.

Don't toss your running fuel wrappers in the garbage or recycling bin. Collect your wrappers and drop them off at Fleet Feet at 472 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Haute Beauty Guide's retail store and skin care studio has re-opened at 71 Pearl Street in Downtown Old Monterey! This small, woman-owned business was temporarily closed because of storm damage to the building, but now has the all-clear to safely move back in...just in time for Easter.

Stop by the store and check out the sweet selection of Easter cards and spring gifts for adults and children including some adorable new items featuring Claris the chic Parisian mouse.

Haute Beauty Guide's retail store sells a selection of quality gifts, home decor, skincare products, handmade soap, candles, jewelry, and children's books and activities, focusing primarily on California artisans and creators.

Are you having a snack attack? What better way to beat it than with East Village Cafe's popular and delicious kimbap rolls? Vegetarian and made in-house, these tasty and nutritious rolls are perfect for anyone looking for a healthy and sustainable snack option.

Why wait? Try East Village's kimbap rolls today at 498 Washington Street in Downtown Old Monterey and see what all the fuss is about.

Manasiri's Crepes and Sandwiches invites you to try our Mary's Bagel Sandwich. It's fresh, simple, and zesty, containing smoked turkey, spinach, tomato, hummus, pesto, and a sprinkling of thyme za'atar.

Visit Manasiri's at 321 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey. We're open Sun-Thur, 8am-7pm and Fri-Sat, 8am-10pm.